Rio 2016 Olympics: Two US swimmers leave Rio after ‘robbery’ row

19 August 2016 From the section Latin America & Caribbean Share

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-37127499 Read more about sharing. Close share panel × Media captionFootage has been released purportedly showing four US swimmers at a petrol station in Rio

US swimmers Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger have flown out of Rio de Janeiro after being questioned by police over an incident at a petrol station, the US Olympic Committee has confirmed.

They were taken off a plane as they tried to leave Brazil on Wednesday.

The pair and their two teammates, Ryan Lochte and James Feigen, are accused of lying by telling officials they were robbed by gunmen on Sunday.

Lochte has already flown back to the US, while Feigen is still in Brazil.

Rio’s civil police head Fernando Veloso earlier said the four Olympic gold medallist had not been robbed.

“No robbery was committed against these athletes. They were not victims of the crimes they claimed,” he said.

He told reporters that one or more of the athletes had instead vandalised a toilet in a petrol station and then offered to pay for the damage.

The Americans paid and left after armed security guards intervened, he said.

One guard had justifiably drawn his gun after one of the swimmers …

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